Cotton tramper



July l, 1924.- 1,500,070

T. s. GRIMES COTTON TRAMPER Filed June 12, 1922 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 July1, 1924. 1,500,070

T. S. GRIMES 'GOTTON TRAMPER Fild June 12,. 1922 s Sheets-Sheet 2 T. s.GRIMES COTTON I'RAMPER July 1, 1924;

Filed June 12, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 gwuenfoz v 1,500,070 may i924 T. s.GRIMES COTTON TRAMPER Filed June 12, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 a 6 301 wagsJuly 1, 1924. 1,500,070

T. s. GRIMES COTTON TRAMPER Filed June 12, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 72100506 (Ff/M56.

anon W01 I Z aunt wags Patented July 1, 1924.

fiddle THADDEUS S. GRIMES, OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA, -AS SIGNOR LUMMUSCOTTON GIN COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA, A CORPORATION OF GEORGIA. I

COTTON Tani/r233.

Application filed June 12, 1922. Serial 1T0. $7,723.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THADDEUS S. GRIMES, of Columbus, in the countyofMuscogee and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Cotton Trampers; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make anduse the same.

'My object is to provide a tramper head, or follow block, and operatingmechanism, and a paddle with its actuating means, the two elementsbeingindependently operated to insure their proper relative actionswithrespect to time under the conditions that may exist. 'I also provide animprovedlocking device for controlling the paddle relative to thetramper action. Another object is to provide mechanism for so swingingthe paddle that its course will conform to the shape of the lint slide.T

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan and Figure2 a front elevation of'atramper em bodying my invention. Figure 3is a vertical section throughthetramper. Figure's'4 and 5 are details of the paddle actuatingmechanism showing two positions of the paddle. .Figures 6, 7, 8, 9,show-details of the locking mechanism controlling the paddle actuatinggears.

The general assembly is of familiar design. As shown iirFigures 1, 2 and3the main gears 1 are provided with crank pins 2 to which are -fulcrumedconnecting arms 3 carrying the follow block or tramper head 4. The blockis shown with castings 5 in which, are journaled wrist pins 6 to whicharms 3 are connected. Guide bars 8 are riveted to the castings 5 andextend vertically through grooves 9formed in the ends of the press boxes10, 11. These parts substantially constitute the follow block mechanism.

The following has reference to the paddle mechanism.

The shaft 13 upon which the gears lrare mounted also carries anintermediate gear 14 which I term a skipgear. It meshes with an idlergear 15 which in turn rotates the gear'16 keyed upon shaft '17. Also.

' keyed upon this shaft 17 are two crank arms 21. The upper ends ofthese links are ful-- crumed on pins 19'of arms 18, while their lower orouter ends are fulcrumed to pins 22 of swing arms 23 on a shaft 24.:This shaft is supported in a bracket 25 as is also the shaft 17. Arms26, 27, hold the gears in proper position.

Referringnow to Figures 4 and 5 the action of the paddle and itsoperating parts will be understood. As gear 16 rotates, the pins 19 oncrank arms 18 describe the circle indicated by the dotted line 28. Thepins 22 of arms 23 oscillate in the are indicated by dotted line 29. Inconsequence the extremity of paddle 20 travels in the path 31.

As shown in Figure 3, the lint slide'32, at the portion receiving paddle20, is curved in exact correspondence with the lower part of the path 31so that the down stroke of the paddle will sweep into the press box andbeneath the follow block all the cotton entering the lint'slide from thecondenser. It should here be observed that the curved lower-portion ofthe chute 31 defines an enlargement or pocket into which a largequantity of cotton can be fed while the paddle 20 is in its raisedposition as shown in'Figure 8. The obvious advantage of thisconstruction is that the feeding of a cotton into the press boxes 10 and11 will be greatly expedited in a highly efiicient and effective manner,it being remembered that the curve of the chute 31 at the site of thispocket exactly corresponds to the'path' of the paddle 20 so that a cleansweep of the pocket or curved portion of the chute will be effected oneach workingstroke of the paddle. =Thus but relatively few actuations ofthe paddle will be necessary to fill the press boxes.

It is essential that the follow block and paddle properly co-act, onecycle of the block movement to one cycle of the paddle movement, andthat their functions be relatively timed in proper sequence. The paddleshould reach the end of its sweep stroke and and drops into the notch.At that time the flange 34 will have reachedthe pawl and begun to bearupon it to hold it in the notch and maintain the gears 15 and 16 lockeduntil the flange 34 passes completely "over the pawl and releases itand-the toothed surfaceof gear 14 mesheswith' gear 15 and imparts to itand gear 16 one complete revolution. Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9, show,respectively, the positions when the gear 15 is locking, fully locked,unlocking and fully unlocked.

As appropriate means for operating the whole mechanism I haveconventionally indicated a driven shaft 40 having pinions 41 meshingwith the gears 1' and a driving shaft 42 having tight and loose pulleys43, 44.

By the apparatus described, and with proper change of gears. it will beseen that either the follow block function or the paddle action may bevaried in speed without affecting the rate of operation of the other.This is of advantage. It'allows the number of reciprocations of. thefollow block to be varied for a given period of time without affectingthe speed of the paddle. Y In this way the action of the block may bevaried to suit a larger or smaller volume of cottonentering the lintslide. By changing the diameter of gear 14 the time during which thepaddle remains stationary while the block is active may be varied tosuit conditions. If the paddle speed is too fast or too slow the cottonwill not be properly fed into the press box and will accumulate too muchon one side or the other of the box, resulting in a hollow or one sidedbale.

- I make no claim in this application to the gear lock per se as itforms the subject of a separate application for patent, Serial Number567,725, filed June 12, 1922.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a cotton tramper, the combination with a press box, a follow blockand a lint slide leading to said press box, of a'paddle i movable insaid lint slide, means for swinging said paddle on its active stroke inproximity to and in an arc corresponding to the lower wall of said lintslide, and means for periodically locating and maintaining said paddlein a position to close said slide.

2. In a cotton tramper,'the combination with a press box having an openside, a fol- 1,5oo,o7o i low block movable in said press box, and a lintslide entering the open side of said press box, of a paddle movable insaid lint slide, and means for holding said paddle stationary againstthe open side of said press box during the effective action of saidfollow block,

3. In a cotton tramper, the combination with a press box, a followblockmovable therein, means for reciprocating said follow block, and a lintslide leading to said press box, of a paddle movable in said lint slide,a shaft, a gear wheel on said shaft, crank arms also on said shaft andto which said paddle is connected and means for. intermittently rotatingsaid gear wheel for periodically locating and maintaining said paddle ina position to close said'slide.

4. In a cotton tramper, the combination with a press box, a follow blockmovable therein, means for reciprocating said follow block, and a lintslide leading to said press box, of a paddle movable in said lint slide,a shaft, a gear wheel on said shaft, crank arms also on said shaft,links fulcrumed on said crank arms and to which said paddle is attached,a second shaft, swing arms ful-- crumed at one end on said second shaftand at the other to said links, and means for intermittently rotatingsaid gear wheel for periodically locating and maintaining said paddle ina position to close said slide.

5. Ina cotton tramper, the combination with a press box, a follow blockmovable therein, means for reciprocating said follow block, and a lintslide leading to said press box, of a paddle movable in said lint slide,and means for intermittently operating said paddle comprising a gearwheel by which said paddle is carried, a main operating gear, and anintermediate idler. said main operating gear having its toothedperiphery interrupted by a smooth surface, a flangeon said surface, saididler having a notch in its periphery, and a pawl intermediate the mainoperating gear and the idler and adapted to be received by said notchand held therein by said flange,

6. In a cotton tramper, a press box, a lint slide leading thereto, afeed paddle movable back and forth in the slide, and means formomentarily locking the paddle against movement at the end of itsoperative stroke.

7. In a cotton tramper, the combination with a press box having groovesin its ends, a follow block movable in said press box, andgears foractuating said follow block, of connecting arms fulcrumed to said gearsand to said follow block, and guide bars rising from said follow blockat points adjacent the connections of the arms therewith and movable insaid grooves.

8. In a cotton tramper, a press box, a lint slide leading thereto, anoscillatory paddle movable in the slide, means for actuating the paddle,and means for arresting, and looking for arresting the paddle in aposition for arrested, the paddle at the end of its opera closing theside of the box, and means for tive stroke,

9. In a cotton tramper, a press box, a lint on its return stroke. 5slide leading through the side thereof, a pad- In testimony whereof Ihave signed this dle swingingly mounted in the slide and specification.adapted to close the side of the box, means THADDEUS S. GRIMES.

operating the paddle and lifting the same, 10

